The Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program (BPRCAP) has received a $32,160 grant from the National Film Preservation Foundation (NFPF) for the preservation of a unique film series used by Antarctic explorer Richard Byrd.

The BPRCAP is a collaborative effort of the Byrd Polar Research Center and The Ohio State University Libraries. Its mission is to collect, preserve, and provide access to historical documents concerned with polar regions. Historical collections include papers, records, photographs, and other forms of documentation concerning explorers, scientists, and other figures and organizations prominent in the advancement of knowledge about polar environments.

Laura Kissel, polar curator for BPRCAP, said the grant provides an exciting opportunity to preserve and show unique footage shot in Antarctica during the early to mid-1930s.

“The grant enables us to preserve 10 films from the Admiral Richard E. Byrd Collection,” Kissel said. “Shown on Byrd’s lecture tour following the expedition in 1935, these films transported the audience to Antarctica, which was still quite unknown at the time.”

Byrd led his second expedition to Antarctica, commonly called BAE II, from 1933-35 following the success of his first expedition in 1928-1930. Many firsts in the history of Antarctic exploration were achieved during BAE II, including the first radio broadcast from Antarctica to the rest of the world on February 1, 1934.

Byrd’s status as a national hero grew at the conclusion of BAE II, and he was highly sought on the public lecture tour circuit. The films to be preserved are part of the series Byrd used on this lecture tour, called Discovery. Byrd wrote, “This pictorial record will show better than any words of mine could, the sacrifices my men made and the credit they deserve.”

The Discovery Lecture Series was originally comprised of 28 reels of film. Of these 28 reels, only 10 films have survived; these reels hold 8,875 feet of 35mm film. Prior to the BRPCAP acquisition of the series, it was housed in a numerous locations, including several warehouses and a barn. Despite the excellent storage conditions at the BPRCAP, the condition of the films was not usable for researchers.

The film will be cleaned, repaired, and transferred to a stable medium by Cinema Arts Incorporated in Pennsylvania. In addition, access copies will be made in DVD formats, enabling scholars, students, polar enthusiasts, and the general public the opportunity to view the films, which have not been shown since 1935.

Work on the restoration and preservation process will begin in July 2013.

For more information on the BPRCAP, contact Laura Kissel.